Top floor of the Starry Building, at the press conference venue.
Upon hearing Nie Bing's words, Liu Shanhe first exchanged a meaningful smile with Lei Gang before replying to Nie Bing:
"Police Officer Nie Bing, I've put you on speaker. Minister Lei and the Starry Security personnel here can all hear you.
"Have you found any clues about Contestant Cifera?"
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, a clear and assertive voice identifying itself as "Nie Bing" came through the phone:
"Master, we retrieved surveillance footage from all entrances to the building prior to the press conference. The results were unexpectedly straightforward: we easily spotted Cifera."
At this point, "Nie Bing" asked, in a tone that was more of an announcement than a question:
"Can I project the surveillance footage directly onto the big screen here?"
"Hang on a minute, I need to ask the hosts first!"
Liu Shanhe was speechless. What's gotten into Little Bingbing? We're the Pursuit Team, not some reckless contestant like Cifera who can just do whatever she wants...
"Oh," Nie Bing's voice came over the line, cold and detached, though a hint of impatience was unmistakable.
Liu Shanhe was long accustomed to Nie Bing's blunt, no-nonsense attitude and disregard for formalities, but Lei Gang, standing nearby, had a different reaction.
Hmph! That Nie Bing girl is as rude as I thought!
She doesn't even respect the senior members of her own team!
If she were one of my subordinates, I wouldn't keep her around, no matter how competent she is!
Lei Gang might not have fully realized it himself, but his animosity toward Nie Bing stemmed not solely from "etiquette" issues. He feared she might say something that would undermine his earlier grand pronouncements about "the bigger picture."
While Lei Gang fumed inwardly, Liu Shanhe had already secured affirmative responses from Liu Ruyan and Li Zhanting.
For these two Starry executives and die-hard Cat Fans, this was like getting front-row seats to a live broadcast.
Putting Cifera's surveillance footage on the big screen? Now that's perfect viewing! No downside at all!
Less than a second after Liu Shanhe confirmed his request, the surveillance footage immediately appeared on the big screen, making it clear that "Nie Bing" had been prepared for this all along.
On the screen, Cifera, draped in a long white coat, strode briskly through the main entrance into the flagship store on the first floor.
The footage then sped up and cut to show Cifera pausing at various display windows, examining the jewelry with apparent curiosity.
Based on these recordings alone, Cifera appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary customer fascinated by the store's dazzling array of jewels.
Nie Bing's clear, composed voice resumed:
"According to these videos, she lingered for an extended period on the first through third floors of the flagship store..."
Just then, Lei Gang abruptly interrupted Nie Bing:
"With all due respect, these recordings are meaningless! What we need to know is how she infiltrated the competition venue!"
"Minister Lei, please be patient," Liu Shanhe retorted without hesitation. "The Pursuit Team has its own procedures. Please refrain from interrupting. I trust Police Officer Nie Bing wouldn't waste our time with irrelevant footage."
"You..." Lei Gang wanted to argue further, but suddenly felt a sharp, piercing gaze fixed on him.
He turned to see Li Zhanting staring at him with a deep frown. In an instant, Lei Gang was drenched in cold sweat.
Li Zhanting's gaze conveyed a clear message: Did you think my promise to fully cooperate with the Pursuit Team was just empty words?
Holy shit! I forgot President Li was still here!
Realizing he couldn't prolong the argument, Lei Gang quickly forced a stiff smile:
"Old Liu, you're right! I was just getting impatient. My apologies..."
"It's fine... Alright, Police Officer Nie Bing, please continue."
Liu Shanhe replied casually, clearly unbothered by Lei Gang's earlier remarks.
As a microexpression expert, Liu Shanhe saw through Lei Gang's intentions perfectly and had no interest in engaging with him.
With the interruption resolved, "Nie Bing's" voice resumed, showing no sign of having been affected by Lei Gang's challenge:
"According to the surveillance footage, after lingering for an extended period, Cifera ultimately left directly through the main entrance."
The footage promptly displayed Cifera's departure.
Seeing this, the live stream's Bullet Comments exploded. They knew Cifera had infiltrated the venue disguised as a female reporter and hadn't left at all!
[Even surveillance footage can lie these days!]
[Oh no! Little Bingbing's been utterly fooled by Cifera!]
[Maybe Big Pecs was right all along. Nie Bing really is wasting her time on something pointless.]
[Well, Big Pecs won't fare much better. When he finds out the truth, his face is gonna turn green with rage! This fake footage perfectly proves his Security System is just a sieve. (Laughing crying emoji)]
[Hold on, why is everyone jumping to conclusions like Big Pecs? Nie Bing hasn't even finished explaining yet!]
[Exactly! Do you think an elite Criminal Investigator would have the same low IQ as you guys? Cifera just made a public appearance at the press conference. Of course she'd suspect the footage's authenticity!]
As if responding to the bullet comments, Nie Bing's confident and resolute voice rang out at the perfect moment:
"But this is clearly misleading information deliberately left by Cifera!
"I've discovered deep traces of Cifera's intrusion into the Star Surveillance System!
"The vast majority of the surveillance footage we saw earlier was genuine. Only the final segment showing her leaving Starry was fabricated!
"She modified and concealed the original footage from that crucial period, believing no one could detect or recover it."
At this point, "Nie Bing's" voice brimmed with the exhilaration of a triumphant comeback:
"But I must say, she was far too arrogant!
"Yesterday, after subduing me, she kept me by her side, forcing me to watch her perform various technical operations at the Technical Booth.
"She underestimated my learning ability. I've now mastered her technical quirks and operational habits.
"I immediately attempted to break through her security protocols... and, fortunately, I succeeded in restoring the hidden segments of the true footage!"
As "Nie Bing" spoke, a new video projection appeared on the large screen.
The footage showed:
After browsing the flagship store, Cifera didn't leave. Instead, she sat down on a sofa to leisurely enjoy a dessert.
At that moment, a female reporter, clearly recognizing Cifera, approached her excitedly and engaged her in conversation for a while.
The reporter then feigned illness, and with Cifera's assistance, entered the women's restroom.
The video footage sped up, and five minutes quickly passed.
The female reporter emerged alone. The camera immediately split into two frames: one showing the reporter and the other focusing on the restroom entrance.
In the reporter's frame, she calmly walked toward the passage leading to the rooftop press conference, successfully passed through security, and entered an elevator.
Meanwhile, in the restroom entrance frame, time continued to advance rapidly, but Cifera never emerged from the restroom.
Though Nie Bing hadn't yet offered an explanation, the crowd had already begun to stir!
The video footage was packed with bombshell revelations!
Even the reporters had begun to grasp the implications, let alone the Pursuit Team members who were intimately familiar with Cifera's modus operandi.
This Cifera... could she actually possess the ability to shapeshift?!